Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is a 2021 six part docuseries chronicling the rise and fall of Miami drug lords Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon. The two were eventually indicted in one of the largest drug cases in United States history, accused of illegally smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the country.[2][3] The series is directed by Billy Corben who previously directed three Cocaine Cowboys documentary films, each featuring a different set of criminals associated with the cocaine trade.[4]
| Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Directed by | Billy Corben |
| Theme music composer | Pitbull[1] |
| Opening theme | Blood Sport |
| Composer | Carlos José Alvarez |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editor | David Cypkin |
| Running time | 40–50 minutes |
| Production company | Rakontur Production |
| Original release | |
| Release | August 4, 2021 |
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Willy & Sal" | August 4, 2021 |
| 2 | "75 Tons" | August 4, 2021 |
| 3 | "Mountain of Evidence" | August 4, 2021 |
| 4 | "Only in Miami" | August 4, 2021 |
| 5 | "Femme Fatale" | August 4, 2021 |
| 6 | "Adios, Muchachos" | August 4, 2021 |
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary holds an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10.[5]
Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun Times reviewed the series positively, describing the series as "brilliant and wildly entertaining".[6] Brian Tallerico, reviewing the series for RogerEbert.com praised the directorship of Corben saying that he "lets the people involved tell their stories, and he gets amazing ones from all sides of this incredible tale, including criminals, authorities, and even a few of the jurors."[7] On Buzzfeed News, Alessa Dominguez critiqued the show for the way it, and other similar Netflix shows, gloss over the tremendous harm wrought by drug kingpins like Magluta and Falcon writing that the show "highlights the glamour and excess of the Miami drug trade, often losing sight of the bigger picture and the people who suffered the fallout".[8]
Awards
editCocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami won an national Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video in 2022.
References
edit- ^ Keller, Joel (August 4, 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Of Miami' On Netflix, A Docuseries About Buddies Who Became Drug Kingpins In South Florida". Decider. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ Shager, Nick (August 2, 2021). "The Twisted Saga of 'Los Muchachos,' the Speedboat-Racing Duo Who Flooded America With Cocaine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (August 3, 2021). "How the 'Cocaine Cowboys' filmmakers have built a career interviewing Miami's most notorious gangsters". Insider.com. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ Simonpillai, Radheyan (August 3, 2021). "Cocaine Cowboys: the story of the billionaires who controlled Miami". The Guardian. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ "Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Roeper, Richard (August 3, 2021). "'Cocaine Cowboys': A true-crime series so great, it's addictive". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (August 3, 2021). "Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami". RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Dominguez, Alessa (August 6, 2021). "Netflix's "Cocaine Cowboys" And The Trouble With Narco Dramas". Buzzfeed News.
